Plant Guide
INDIAN RICEGRASS Erosion control/reclamation: One of Indian ricegrass' greatest values is for stabilizing sites susceptible to Achnatherum hymenoides wind erosion. It is well adapted to stabilization of (Roemer & J.A. Schultes) disturbed sandy soils in mixes with other species. It is naturally an early invader onto disturbed sandy Barkworth sites (after and in concert with needle and thread Plant Symbol = ACHY grass). It is also one of the first to establish on cut and fill slopes. It does not compete well with Contributed By: USDA NRCS Idaho State Office aggressive introduced grasses during the establishment period, but is very compatible with slower developing natives, such as Snake River wheatgrass (Elymus wawawaiensis), bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), thickspike wheatgrass (Elymus lanceolata ssp. lanceolata), streambank wheatgrass (Elymus lanceolata ssp. psammophila), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), and needlegrass species (Stipa spp. and Ptilagrostis spp.). Drought tolerance combined with fibrous root system and fair to good seedling vigor, make Indian ricegrass desirable for reclamation in areas receiving 8 to 14 inches annual precipitation.
Wildlife: Forage value is mentioned in the grazing/rangeland/hayland section above. Due to the abundance of plump, nutritious seed produced by Indian ricegrass, it is considered an excellent food source for birds, such as morning doves, pheasants, and songbirds. Rodents collect the seed for winter food supplies. It is considered good cover habitat for small animals and birds.
@ Grass Images Beautification: Due to its attractive seed heads, Bioinformatics Working Group Indian ricegrass is recommended for roadside, Texas A&M University campground, and other low rainfall locations for beautification. Alternate Names Oryzopsis hymenoides, Stipa hymenoides Status Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Uses Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s Ethnobotanic: The nutritious seed of Indian ricegrass current status, such as, state noxious status, and was one of the staple foods of American Indians. wetland indicator values.
Grazing/rangeland/hayland: Indian ricegrass is Description highly palatable to livestock and wildlife. It is a General: Grass Family (Poaceae). Indian ricegrass is preferred feed for cattle, horses and elk in all seasons. 8 to 30 inches tall. It has many tightly rolled, slender It is considered a preferred feed for sheep, deer and leaves, growing from the base of the bunch giving it a antelope in spring and a desirable feed for sheep, slightly wiry appearance. The ligule is about 6 mm deer, and antelope in late fall and winter. It reaches long and acute. It has a wide spreading panicle its peak production from mid-June through mid-July. inflorescence with a single flower at the end of each It holds its nutrient value well at maturity. It is not hair-like branch. Seeds are round to elongated, black considered valuable as a hay species. or brown, and generally covered with a fringe of
Plant Materials
short, dense, white callus hairs. Indian ricegrass has sites and on sandy soils. It is relatively short-lived fair to good seedling vigor. Seed of most accessions for a perennial grass and reproduces by seed. are very slow to germinate due a thick hull and embryo dormancy. It does not tolerate poorly drained soils, extended periods of inundation, winter flooding or shading. It Distribution is tolerant of weakly saline and sodic conditions, but Indian ricegrass is a widely distributed, short to prefers neutral soils. It can also tolerate fire later in medium lived, native, cool-season bunchgrass the growing season and when the plant is dormant generally found in the plains, foothills, mountains, without serious damage. and intermountain basins of the western United States on dry and primarily loamy-sandy-gravelly sites. For Species often associated with Indian ricegrass include current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile the big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) complex, page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. saltbush species (Atriplex spp.), winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata), juniper species (Juniperus spp.), needle and thread (Stipa comata) and other needlegrasses, bluebunch wheatgrass, Snake River wheatgrass, thickspike wheatgrass, streambank wheatgrass, western wheatgrass, and blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis).
Planting: This species should be seeded with a deep furrow drill at a depth of 1/2 to 1 inch on medium to fine textured soils and 1 to 3 inches on coarse textured soils. A deeper planting depth puts the seed in contact with moist soil conditions, which aids in the stratification process and makes the seed less likely to be dug up by rodents. Use of older seed up to 4 to 6 years of age may improve germination and should be planted at 1/2 to 1-inch depth. Seed may require acid washing to scarify the seed and improve germination. Single species seeding rate recommended for Indian ricegrass is 8 pounds Pure B&W Live Seed (PLS) per acre or 24 PLS per square foot Texas A&M University or 24 PLS seeds per linear row foot at 12 inch row spacing. If used as a component of a mix, adjust to Establishment percent of mix desired. For rangeland mixtures, Adaptation: Indian ricegrass is very winter hardy and approximately 30 to 50 percent of the mix or 2.5 to 4 has a broad climatic adaptation. It can be found at pounds PLS/acre should be considered. For mined elevations from 2,000 up to 10,000 feet. It grows lands and other harsh critical areas, the seeding rate best in areas with average annual precipitation of 8 should be doubled. Two separate seeding operations inches to above 14 inches. It has been seeded in may be necessary when planting seed mixes, because areas with as low as 6 inches of rainfall and most species should be planted at shallower depths reproduced. It is also found on sites with than those recommended for Indian ricegrass. This precipitation well above 14 inches. It prefers sandy means that Indian ricegrass should be planted first, course textured soils in its southern areas of followed by the seeding operation for the rest of the adaptation and can be found on sands, fine sandy mix. loams, silt loams, clay loams, gravelly, rocky, to shale areas in the mid-northern areas of its The best seeding results are obtained from seeding in adaptation. It does well on hot, dry southern very early spring on heavy to medium textured soils exposures. In Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and locations and in late fall on medium to light textured soils. to the south, ‘Nezpar’ does best above 6500 feet Dormant fall seeding may improve germination of elevation and ‘Paloma’ does best below 6500 feet dormant seeds. Summer and late summer (June - elevation. September) seedings are not recommended. Seedling vigor is fair to good, but the seed may have a high Indian ricegrass is often an early seral or pioneer percentage of hard seed, and stands may take 2 to 5 species establishing seedlings in open or disturbed
years to fully establish. Indian ricegrass stands Seed Production respond well to light irrigation and light fertilization. Seed production of Indian ricegrass has been very successful under cultivated conditions. Row spacing Stands may require weed control measures during of 24 inches under irrigation or high precipitation establishment. Bromoxynil may be applied at the 3-4 (4.0 pounds PLS per acre) to 36 inches on dryland leaf stage for early suppression of young broadleaf (3.0 pounds PLS per acre) is recommended. weeds and application of 2,4-D should not be made Cultivation will be needed for weed control and to until plants have reached the 4-6 leaf stage or later. maintain row culture. Mow when weeds are beginning to bloom to reduce weed seed development. Grasshoppers may damage Seed fields are productive for about five years. Fall new stands and other insects and use of pesticides moisture, soil fertility, and plant re-growth determine may be required. All herbicides and pesticides the succeeding years yield. Birds will feed on seed, should be applied according to the label. and wind can shatter seed from inflorescence prior to harvest. Average production of 100 to 200 pounds Management per acre can be expected under dryland conditions in Indian ricegrass establishes slowly and new seedings 14 inch plus rainfall areas. Average production of should not be grazed until at least late summer or fall 300 to 400 pounds per acre can be expected under of the second growing season. It makes its initial irrigated conditions. Harvesting can be completed by growth in early spring and matures seed by mid direct combining in the hard dough stage or by wind- summer. rowing. Windrowing helps ensure a more complete threshing. Indian ricegrass is so indeterminate that New stands should not be grazed until the plants are windrowing allows final curing in the swath prior to reproducing by seed. Indian ricegrass benefits from combining. Windrowing also reduces the risk of grazing use if it is moderately grazed in winter and wind damage. It is very difficult to thrash all the early spring. Livestock should be removed while seed if direct combined, and it may be beneficial to there is still enough growing season moisture to re-thrash windrows after a few days for seed not allow recovery, growth, and production of seed. threshed in the first operation. Seed heads have Stands will deteriorate under heavy spring grazing moderate to high rates of shatter and require close systems. scrutiny of maturing stands. Seed is generally harvested in early July to early August. Seed must be The third and fourth years following establishment dried immediately after combining (moisture content may be critical to stand survival. Reproduction is should be 12 percent in bins/15 percent in sacks). dependent on seed production and quality seed in the soil bank must be available as mature plants begin to Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and go out of the stand. Grazing management with rest or area of origin) deferment schedules that allow plants to produce seed Foundation and registered seed is available through every 2 to 3 years is recommended. By the eighth or the appropriate state Crop Improvement Association ninth year following establishment, the seed bank or commercial sources to grow certified seed. should be adequate, with a wide variation of low dormancy to hard seed to ensure long term stand ‘Nezpar’ Indian ricegrass was originally collected in survival with proper grazing management. 1935 from a site south of White Bird, Idaho by the Washington Plant Materials Center (PMC) staff. It Environmental Concerns: Indian ricegrass is was selected from 152 accessions for its vegetative relatively short-lived and spreads via seed characteristics and low seed dormancy by the Idaho distribution. It is not considered "weedy" or an PMC and released in 1978. It is adapted to the invasive species, but can spread into adjoining Northwest and Intermountain regions where vegetative communities under the proper precipitation averages 8 inches or above. It has management, climatic, and environmental conditions. survived in plantings with 6 inches annual rainfall. It Most seedings do not spread from original plantings, prefers gravelly to loamy to sandy soils. It is noted or if they do spread, the rate of spread is not for its large erect plant type, robust stems, abundant alarming. Indian ricegrass is self-pollinated, but may leaves, medium to small dark nearly hairless occasionally be pollinated by native needlegrass elongated seeds (< 50 percent dormant seeds), and species. These natural crosses generally produce good to excellent seedling vigor. Certified seed is sterile hybrids. available, and Aberdeen PMC maintains breeder seed.
'Paloma' Indian ricegrass was collected in 1957 west Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences of Pueblo, Colorado at about 5000 feet elevation on Laboratory, Missoula, Montana. medium soils. It was selected by New Mexico PMC and released cooperatively by the PMC and New USDA, NRCS 2000. The PLANTS database. Mexico Agricultural Extension Service in 1974. It is Version: 000417.
Cronquist, A., A. H. Holmgren, N. H. Holmgren, J. L. Reveal, & P. K. Holmgren 1977. Intermountain flora. Vol. 6. The New York Botanical Garden. Columbia University Press, New York, New York.
Hitchcock, A. S. 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. USDA, Washington, DC.
Jones, Thomas A. 1999. Personal communication. Geneticist, USDA, ARS, Forage and Range Research Laboratory, Logan, Utah.
Powell, A.M. 1994. Grasses of the Trans-Pecos and adjacent areas. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas.
Texas A&M University 1997. Grass images.
USDA, Forest Service 1996. Fire effects information system. Version: 000417.